-The Jarnefeldt family tent, ten minutes later-
Once the fire was going strong Leona tossed the letter and wax seal into the fire so that only she and the sultan would know what her mission was. Leona stood in front of the oven and watched the letter burn to ashes and the wax seal melt into red goo. She stood in front of the oven until both the letter and the wax seal were completely gone, then turned to her mother and Mortemer.
"
All right. I had better get going on my mission. And I can't tell you where I'm going on pain of death." Leona said to her mother. Sophia seemed a little sad but also relieved that Leona had burned the letter and the wax seal so that her daughter would remain safe thanks to having carried out the sultan's instructions.
"
OK Leona. Since you're sworn to secrecy I won't ask where you're going, but before you go, I've got something for you." Sophia said to her daughter. Sophia walked over to her cot and reached under it, then stood up and brought it over to Leona. She put a large bag into Leona's hands.
"
It's a backpack that I bought from a store in the Tri-Council City a day after you left Nebdoui. It's a larger backpack than the one you're wearing now, so you can carry more supplies like food, clothing, water, and so on." Sophia explained what the bag was. Leona looked at the new backpack and noticed that it was tan with a clear light blue tube sticking out of the right side. At the end of the tube was a valve.
"
The backpack also has a hydration pack inside. It can store water for you that you can drink by biting the valve you see on the end of the tube and drinking from it like a straw. You won't have to lug around that metal canteen anymore... if you don't want." Sophia explained how the valve worked. Leona was pleased with her new gift.
"
Thanks, Mother." Leona thanked her mother. She took the old backpack off of her back, walked over to her cot with the new backpack, and set the old backpack to the left and her new one to the right. She then began taking her clothes out of her old backpack and transferring them to the new one, which had much more room to carry supplies.
"
Do you need my help, Leona?" Mortemer asked her and approached the cot.
"
No thanks, Mortemer. I've got this." Leona said as she quickly took out her spare bras and underwear and quickly crammed them into her new backpack so that Mortemer did not see them. Once that was done she transferred over her tank tops and camouflage shorts, then her regenerating blue, white, and gold outfit. Last came her spare socks.
Once her clothes had been transferred over Leona saw that she had slightly over half her backpack left, so she began to place her extra food in a side pocket. She then fished out her desert cloak and gently folded it before putting it on top of her clothing. Last came her old metal canteen.
"
You might want to fill the hydration bladder before you leave, Leona. I'll get some water for it." Sophia suggested. Leona nodded and Sophia went to the kitchen to grab a container in which to pour water. Meanwhile Leona thought about the enormity of the task that loomed ahead of her.
She was going to Southwestern Desierto on foot to look for an ancient temple that may or may not even exist. She would only have Mortemer and her summons for company. The only supplies she would have were those she carried with her or could scavenge from any outlaws she killed. It was going to be a long hike to her destination, so she had better get going as soon as possible... but first, she had to fill the hydration bladder.
Leona found the hydration bladder and took it out, unscrewing the cap so that Sophia could fill it. Sophia carefully poured the water in until the hydration pack was three-fourths full, or 72 ounces full. Sophia dried it off and Leona put it back into her backpack, where it bulged slightly but fit in its special pocket that was separate from the rest of her gear. Leona then put the new backpack onto her back and moved around.
It fit perfectly.
"
I like this backpack. Thanks." Leona thanked her mother for the unexpected gift. Sophia smiled.
"
You're welcome, Leona. Now you need to pack some food. Let me see what I can spare for you." Sophia said before going to their pantry and searching for any food she could spare.
-Thirty minutes later-
Mortemer put on Leona's old backpack, which was filled with food, coffee, and a kettle for said coffee. Sophia had given all she could spare so that Leona would have supplies for the trip.
"
I'm ready to leave when you are, Leona!" Mortemer declared. Sophia looked a bit sad. She quickly recovered and smiled again.
"
I wish you luck, Leona. I know that you'll complete your mission no matter what it takes." Sophia said to her daughter, trying to sound confident in her daughter's abilities. Leona smiled a little.
"
I'll be OK, Mother. I've made it this far and I'll make it through this mission too." Leona said to her mother. Sophia smiled.
"
I know you will. Good luck and be careful out there!" Sophia bade her daughter.
"
Thanks." Leona said before exiting the tent followed by Mortemer.
-On the outskirts of Nebdoui-
"
Oh, this is so exciting! I haven't seen Desierto in so long! I wonder what all's changed since the last time I was alive!" Mortemer exclaimed. Leona was on the outskirts of her village and heading for Southern Desierto when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. Leona spun around and found Leonidas running after her.
"
Hey Leona. Mother told me that you were going on a trip, so I brought you a few things you might need. With the chief's blessing, of course. I'm just glad that I caught up to you before you had traveled too far." Leonidas said. He was carrying a short rifle with an olive green sling attached to it, a bandolier with twelve magazines of ammunition, and a pair of polarized goggles with which to block out the sand and sun.
"
Are you sure you want to give me a rifle, Leonidas? My aim's so bad I might be better off throwing the bullets at outlaws rather than trying to shoot them." Leona asked her brother, making a self-deprecating joke about her accuracy with a gun. Leonidas laughed briefly.
"
Yeah, it'll be OK. The Chief didn't want you to go out there without a distance weapon, so he sent me to give you this carbine, some ammo in a bandolier, and these goggles." Leonidas said, handing over the three items to the Wizard Saint. Leona put the polarized goggles on her head, took off her backpack and gently put the bandolier across her body, and slung the carbine on her right shoulder.
"
Thanks, Leonidas." Leona thanked him for bringing her the items. He nodded.
"
Well, I'd better let you get going. Good luck out there, Leona!" Leonidas bade her before turning back for Nebdoui. Leona watched him reach the desert village safely, then faced forward and began to walk with Mortemer following at her right side.
- Leona's Carbine:
[Post Word Count: 1,254]
[Total Word Count: 2,654/11,000]
Last edited by Leona Jarnefeldt on 18th November 2020, 12:49 am; edited 1 time in total